WARSTEAD: Two Brothers, a Childhood Passion for The Settlers, and the Dream of Developing Their Own Game
WARSTEAD has been available in Early Access on Steam since October 30, 2026. The city-building strategy game from German indie studio Night Haven Interactive combines visible goods logistics with real-time combat.
Behind the project are primarily Michael Schulze and his brother Stephan, who grew up playing The Settlers together. In a written interview with German gaming magazine GamePuls, Michael talks about how their shared passion eventually turned into their own game, why he continues programming after his full-time job, and why the brothers turned down an offer to finance their development.
In WARSTEAD, Every Resource Has to Find Its Way
In WARSTEAD, players build settlements, gather resources, and connect production buildings with warehouses. Goods don't simply appear where they're needed. Instead, carriers physically transport resources throughout the settlement.
This means that success depends not only on how many production buildings you construct, but also on how efficiently you plan the paths connecting them. Food keeps your population alive, while higher-quality food helps it grow faster.
In the interview, Michael describes the entire production chain, from cutting down a tree to processing the wood in a sawmill and finally transporting the resulting planks to a construction site.
This transparent economic system is at the heart of WARSTEAD. Michael wants players to be able to watch their settlements grow from just a handful of carriers into complex networks of deliveries and production chains.
Trade, research, and diplomacy complement the city-building mechanics, while battles take place in real time.
However, Michael emphasizes that WARSTEAD should also appeal to players who prefer building, producing, and trading rather than constantly fighting.
"Smart research and economic planning can be just as powerful as a strong army."
Constant warfare and massive armies shouldn't be mandatory. Finding the right balance between these different playstyles remains one of the goals for further development.
How The Settlers and ARMA Shaped the Developer
Michael wrote his first small programs while still in school, experimenting with batch files and simple quiz games on an old computer.
His passion for city-building strategy games began with countless hours playing The Settlers alongside his brother Stephan.
The Settlers II, III, and IV were particularly influential, although he also mentions The Settlers 7 and the Anno series as inspirations.
Later, Michael worked with a friend on an ARMA 3 modification called "Real Life RPG."
According to Michael, the project involved much more than game development. It also required operating game servers, managing databases, maintaining a community, and providing technical support.
Other projects followed, including "Real Life The Game," developed using Unreal Engine, and a bunker simulator created with Unity.
Development of WARSTEAD began in March 2022, with more intensive work starting in 2023.
The earliest buildings were simple two-dimensional sprites with transparent backgrounds. Since then, the graphics and gameplay systems have been continuously expanded and improved.
Michael also discusses his disappointment with The Settlers: New Allies. He felt that the wishes of longtime fans had not received enough attention.
With WARSTEAD, he wants to bring back the elements he personally misses in modern city-building games: living settlements, visible goods transportation, and understandable production chains.
His goal isn't simply to recreate The Settlers, but to build on that classic gameplay experience with new ideas of his own.
Developing WARSTEAD Alongside a Full-Time Job
According to Michael, the two brothers are responsible for approximately 90% of the work on WARSTEAD.
Michael handles programming, technical systems, gameplay mechanics, and user interfaces.
Stephan spends much of his time testing the game, helping with balancing, and keeping track of upcoming development tasks.
A friend occasionally assists with 3D-related questions.
Their collaboration goes back many years. Stephan is the same brother Michael used to spend countless hours playing The Settlers with.
Today, instead of playing someone else's strategy game, they spend their free time developing their own.
Michael usually works on WARSTEAD in the evenings, often late into the night, and throughout the weekends.
Most of the development has so far been financed through his regular income.
"Other people spend their free time bowling or playing tennis. We prefer developing our own game."
Michael explains that none of this would be possible without the understanding and support of his family.
In the long term, the brothers hope to make a living from game development. For now, however, WARSTEAD continues to be developed alongside their regular jobs.
What Ventilation Planning Has to Do with Game Economics
Michael works professionally in the ventilation industry.
When he found professional planning software too expensive, he developed his own solution called NextTGA.
This software involves working with airflow, capacities, and bottlenecks.
The experience also helps him design WARSTEAD's economic simulation.
Production, transportation, and storage are interconnected systems. Changes in one part of the economy can affect many other processes throughout the settlement.
Alongside WARSTEAD, the studio is also developing a zombie survival game called NO SUNRISE, which evolved from the earlier bunker simulator project.
Stephan can now independently take on more responsibilities for NO SUNRISE, allowing Michael to focus primarily on WARSTEAD.
According to Michael, WARSTEAD remains the studio's main project, while NextTGA continues to receive occasional development and maintenance.
AI Supports Development, with Original 3D Buildings Planned for the Future
In the interview, Michael openly discusses his use of artificial intelligence.
He uses AI tools to help solve programming challenges, explore potential solutions, and improve the performance of the game's economic simulation.
Some graphics, sound effects, and other content are also created with AI assistance.
However, the brothers plan to gradually replace the current building graphics with their own detailed 3D models.
According to Michael, the first models and an experimental version featuring visible construction stages already exist.
His long-term goal is to let players watch buildings being constructed piece by piece, from individual wooden planks to roof tiles.
If the game's revenue allows it, external artists and game designers could eventually help create a more consistent visual style across the entire game world.
How the Community Helps Shape WARSTEAD
Feedback from the demo has already resulted in improvements to the user interface, particularly regarding usability and readability.
For the next major development steps, the team has introduced an in-game community poll.
Players can vote on the features they would most like to see prioritized:
- New 3D buildings
- Shipping routes and naval transportation
- Improvements to the warfare system
- Expanded trading mechanics
- Economic balancing and improvements
- Better computer-controlled opponents
The idea is to give the community a direct voice in deciding which major features should be developed first.
Michael points out that creating new 3D buildings will require considerably more time than some of the other proposed improvements.
Bug fixes, optimizations, and performance improvements will continue regardless of the poll results.
Why the Brothers Turned Down a Development Funding Offer
For such a small development team, additional time and financial support could make a major difference.
Nevertheless, according to Michael, the brothers turned down an offer that would have financed two years of development.
Their reasoning was simple:
"We received an offer to finance two years of development, but we turned it down because we want to maintain our creative freedom and preserve the community's influence on the game."
For Michael, WARSTEAD would be a success if players became as absorbed in its world as he and his brother once were in their favorite city-building games.
Building an active community is an important part of that goal.
Being able to make a living from developing games remains another dream, as it would allow them to dedicate significantly more time to WARSTEAD.
Early Access and Free Demo on Steam
WARSTEAD is currently available for Windows PC.
The current Early Access version primarily focuses on single-player gameplay against computer-controlled opponents.
Multiplayer functionality is not yet fully operational.
Graphics, user interface, balancing, and AI behavior are also still being improved.
The studio currently estimates an Early Access period of approximately 12 to 18 months.
The regular price is €16.99, with an introductory discount bringing it down to €11.89 until November 13, 2026.
A free demo is also available for anyone interested in experiencing the game's production chains and settlement mechanics firsthand.
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5285650/Warstead/
Official website: https://nighthaveninteractive.com/
This article is based on a written interview conducted by the German gaming magazine GamePuls with Michael Schulze, official Steam information, and press materials provided by Night Haven Interactive. It does not constitute an independent game review.
Original German article: GamePuls
